


the best partner

by blueberrybb



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Childhood Friends, Children, Cute Kids, F/M, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Fluff, Growing Up Together, Love, Meet-Cute, Sweet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-02-26 23:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18726622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueberrybb/pseuds/blueberrybb
Summary: The beginning of a beautiful partnership...How it all started long ago...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi loves!! This is something I wrote a while back and finally decided to upload!! Let me know what you guys think and if I should continue it!! xoxo b

Running through the hectic Ilderton skating rink parking lot without a care in the world, Scott dodges every car in sight making his way towards the double paneled doors. His Blue Jays baseball hat is barely hanging on his head while he adjusts his grip on his duffle bag onto his shoulder. It had already started off as a crazy morning in the Moir household. Danny couldn’t find his skate guards and Charlie spent nearly a half hour laughing at his brother over the ridiculous costume their mother had picked out for him to wear to his next competition with his cousin. Bright red and sparkly. Yikes.

 

Trying to avoid as much conflict as possible from his bickering brothers, Scott escaped as fast as he could from his house and made his way over to the rink. It was practically in their own backyard being only a few yards away.

 

He didn’t want to be late. Again. But looking at it from Scott’s point of view, it was looking pretty close.

 

The dark-haired, nine-year-old began to sprint full force into the lobby, ignoring some of the staff staring at him. At least none of them were scolding him on his tardiness, right?

 

All of the boys Scott’s age were already on the ice practicing some circuits. A few were working on their strokes, while others were trying to nail their crossovers. Trying to remain as quiet as can be, Scott starts to tiptoe to the boards and put on his skates without getting caught. He was hoping his aunt would just let it slide considering she was his skating coach, but how many times would she let it fly?

 

Once he was done lacing up, Scott could hear a familiar clearing of the throat.

 

“Scott?” His aunt Carol accentuates every syllable of his name, dragging out the t.

 

Scott peers up at his aunt with a nervous smile spreading across his face. His face was starting to burn due to how much teeth he was showing. “Yes?” He sings songs, trying to hide his embarrassment.

 

“You’re late again mister,” She tisks at him, tapping her toe pick against the ice. Aunt Carol is suppressing the smirk working its way through her lips. She can’t stay serious at her nephew for long. “What are we going to do with you, Scott?”

 

“I’m sorry aunt Carol.  Dan and Char were going to make me lose my mind if I stayed in the house any longer. I was also helping mom out, so…”

 

“Scott, we both know that last part is a lie,” aunt Carol giggles, throwing her arm around Scott, leading him out to the perimeter of the boards.

 

“Okay, okay. You’re right about that one,” Scott laughs, receiving a playful pinch on the arm from his aunt. “I promise I’ll work on being here on time,” He tosses his hands up as if to say guilty as charged.

 

“That’s what I like to hear. No more lying either Scotty, you’re going to turn into Charlie soon,” aunt Carol shakes her head, turning to pick up the clipboard she left on the wall.

 

Scott couldn’t help but throw aunt Carol a wink as he skates towards centre ice to meet up with his friends. What a compliment, he thinks. He was already starting to become like one of his brothers!

 

His thoughts about turning out like the rest of his family were soon interrupted by the instructions given by his aunt and cousin Cara.

 

“Okay, silence, please. Thank you,” aunt Carol gushes once all the boys faced her with their hands at their sides. What little gentlemen! And all the young ladies clasped their hands together out of excitement. This was going to be the first lesson of paired dancing. For the past couple of weeks, the children had been working on their technique and Carol had finally decided it was time for them to learn how to work as a unit.

 

“Okay class, today we are going to pair you up in partners of two. Cara will be assisting me with that and I do not want to hear any complaining if you do not like who you are partnered with, hmm?” aunt Carol warns lightly.

 

“Yes, Coach Carol,” The children recite in unison.

 

“Marvelous,” aunt Carol smiles. “Okay Cara, you know how to do this right?”

 

“We base it off height first,” Cara nods, looking over the children who were displaying their nerves. Some of the girls were trying to appear taller to get picked with the partner they wanted while some boys were messing around, playfully hitting each other.

 

“Correct,” aunt Carol beams at Cara. “Whenever you’re ready.”

 

At Carol’s words, Cara began to skate around the small group of kids and starts to compare heights. Ignoring his aunt’s instructions to remain still, Scott rushes off to skate the perimeter of the rink, allowing the cool air to fill his lungs, and attempt to clear his nerves.

 

He had one skating partner previously and it didn’t work out very well. She was always yelling at Scott and telling him what to do; and the second she would start an argument and Scott would try to apologize, she would just whip her dark ponytail in his face and give him the silent treatment. She eventually quit to move onto pageantry, and Scott couldn’t have been any happier when receiving the news. It was unbearable working with such a princess...literally. Scott’s stomach was churning at the idea of skating with someone else again. What if they turned out just like her?

 

At this point, he was thinking of giving up ice dance and going back to hockey like his older brother Charlie, but he recollects promising his mom and aunt to give it another try. He wishes now that he hadn’t.

 

Stopping to rest his hands upon his knees, Scott takes notice that the pairs had begun to skate their warm-up lap. With this in mind, he tries to sneak away and start a race across the ice between him and one of his good friends Andrew. It appears his attempt will become unnoticed once Scott realizes that his buddy has become infatuated with his little blonde partner.

 

Oh well, he thinks. He’ll just go back to looping around by himself, work on an axle or two. That is until he hears his aunt beckon him to the boards, saying his name at a higher octave than usual.

                                                 

* * *

 

 Peering out the window of the four-door white minivan, Tessa watches the pitter-pattering of the snowfall while twiddling her thumbs in her lap. She had been nervous all morning getting ready for her ice dance lesson with her new coach, and it had been apparent to her sister who was eyeing her with an adorable smirk.

 

“You alright there, T?” Her sister Jordan asks, handing her, her favourite teddy bear that she had named so originally, Teddy, that came with a pink tutu to remind her of her love of ballet.

 

Tessa snaps out of her daze and smiles while the butterflies continue to tumble throughout her stomach. Grabbing her bear from Jordan, Tessa gives it a quick squeeze and nuzzles her face into it. “I’m good,” she nods.

 

Jordan seems unconvinced as she reaches over her seat and begins to tickle Tessa’s tummy, causing her to erupt of bubbling laughter. “Jo, stop. That Ti-ck-le-s,” Tessa hiccups, trying to worm her way out of Jordan’s fingers.

 

“I just wanted to get rid of the worry monster,” Jordan says, giving Tessa a light peck on the nose. “Tessie, it’s going to be great, don’t worry about it. Your single lessons have been going well and so will your pair lessons,” she smiles.

 

“Thanks, Jo,” Tessa grins as a pink glow shines across her chubby cheeks, making Jordan fawn over how adorable her seven-year-old sister is.

 

“Okay girls, we’re here,” Kate, their mother says while pulling into the Ilderton rink’s parking lot. “Wow, barely got a space. This place is packed today.”

 

After accepting Jordan’s help with her seatbelt, Tessa flings herself out of the car and clutches her pale pink skating bag embroidered with her name to her chest, and shoves her bear into it before anyone else can see it.

 

“Everyone ready?” Kate peeks at her daughters who were now holding hands. The girls nod and they all walk in together, heads held high; except for Tessa who tries to hide behind Jordan.

 

* * *

 

As she watches Cara pair up her rambunctious students, Carol’s attention turns to the sound of the old bell atop the rink doors jingle and open, appearing to be welcoming in two and a half? Women.

 

She glides off in a flurry and puts on her skate guards to greet their new friendly faces.

 

Walking over with a little spring in her step, Carol wastes no time reaching out to shake the older of the woman's hand in greeting. “Good morning, what brings you into the rink today?”

 

“Good morning as well. My name is Kate Virtue, I signed my youngest daughter up for ice dance lessons, Sorry, we’re a little late, we had a bit of a hectic start to the day,” Kate shrugs apologetically, letting out a little sigh.

 

“No worries, It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kate, my name is Carol, I’ll actually be the one giving the lessons,” Carol grins, her eyes moving from the very blonde woman to the young brunette taking in her surroundings.

 

“I can’t wait to work with you dear,” She continues, shaking the girl’s hand.

 

“Oh, me? It’s nice to meet you, but I’m actually not the one getting the lessons,” Jordan laughs. “That would actually be my baby sister,” She says, taking Tessa’s little hand and pulling her into Carol’s sight.

 

“Oh! Well aren’t you adorable,” Carol coos, looking at the tiniest girl with curly, milk chocolate coloured pigtails. Carol thinks she could be the cutest little human she has ever seen. Big green glowing orbs with the biggest sprinkling of freckles dancing across her entire body. “I am enchanted to meet you young lady, what is your name?” She bends down to her height, slightly shaking the girl’s hand, which was so small her finger barely wrapped around her thumb.

 

“Tessa,” She murmurs, giving Carol a bashful smile.

 

“Tessa? That is a beautiful name. I am very glad to have you be a part of our family. Why don’t you go ahead and put on your skates and we’ll get on the ice okay?” Carol says, standing back up from where she was crouching.

 

Tessa nods eagerly and skips all the way to the nearest bench and begins to tie up her skates with her favourite light pink glittering laces, that match perfectly with the dress her mom bought recently.

 

“She’s super cute,” Carol says turning from watching the young girl back to Kate. “How old is she?”

 

“She just turned seven last week,” Kate beams.

 

“That’s great!” Carol chants, tapping her finger against her chin. “She’ll fit in here perfectly. In fact, I think I have the perfect partner for her in mind, he's around her age.”

 

“That’s fantastic. I have to admit she was a bit nervous on the way over. Tessa’s been doing ballet since she was a toddler, twirling around our kitchen, knocking over everything in sight,” Kate says, giggling, remembering back to when Tessa would waltz about the house clad in striped footie pajamas and the wildest pair of sunglasses too big for her face. “But once she got on the ice, she immediately loved it. We signed her up for single lessons and she can’t get enough of it,” She says, gesturing to her daughter standing up.

 

“That’s so sweet. I can’t wait to see what she can do,” Carol grins, checking off Tessa’s name on her clipboard. “She’s all accounted for.”

 

“Great, I’ll see you in two hours then?” Kate asks.

 

“Two hours,” Carol says, waving off Carol and her older daughter.

 

Standing up after lacing up her skates, Tessa takes in the ginormous rink engulfing her. She peers over the edge of the boards and watches the other children around her age skate past her holding hands, learning the different kinds of holds.

 

She can’t help but notice the dark-haired boy skating the edge of the ice by himself; the icy breeze blowing through his mane, he was sporting the widest and whitest smile she had ever seen. Tessa thinks he was handsome. A term she had just learned the other day, watching The Little Mermaid, her favourite movie.

 

“Tessa, dear, why don’t you take off that coat of yours? You’ll warm up pretty quickly once you hit the ice,” Carol offers, walking over to the little girl. Tessa nods in agreement and sludges off her heavy, white peacoat, and places it gently on top of her bag.

 

“I love your dress. It looks like one a ballerina might wear,” Carol smiles at her. “I hear you like to dance, Tessa?”

 

“Yes, I dance every day,” Tessa squeaks. “I like the way it makes me feel.”

 

“I like dancing too. Do you want to become a ballerina someday?” Carol asks, noticing the confused expression glaze over Tessa’s face.

 

“I don’t know. I really like to skate, sometimes more than dance,” Tessa lets out a mischievous smile. “Don’t tell my mom I said that,” Tessa says with a serious face.

 

Carol can’t help but laugh, “Don’t worry sweetheart, I won’t. I think dance is a very important part of ice skating, especially ice dance. Being able to move, is another way to express yourself.” Tessa shuffles back and forth in anticipation to hit the ice.

 

“Can I introduce you to someone?” Carol asks.

 

Tessa nods her head lightly and gestures for her to continue.

 

“Scott, come over here,” Carol shouts over the loud noise in the rink, her voice a few pitches higher than usual.

 

Stopping his warm-up lap, Scott glides over to his aunt and immediately feels his voice catch in his throat. The girl standing next to his aunt was beautiful. His eyes appraise her as she idles about. His hands were starting to sweat and he began to feel self-conscious. He straightens his posture to appear more mature in front of the young lady.

 

“Tessa, this is my nephew, Scott. I think I am going to pair you up with him today,” Carol explains to the girl, whose eyes began to expand to the size of saucers.

 

Tessa was starting to feel the rush of butterflies back in her stomach. She was going to dance...with him?

 

Scott stares at the ground for a few seconds and glances up to give her a little awkward wave. Tessa nervously giggles in response, causing him to turn beet red. Practically the colour of Danny’s horrendous costume.

 

Tessa tries to compose herself as Scott reaches out to grab her hands; which were covered with giant mittens. With that in mind, he leads her to an open spot centre ice. She inhales sharply when standing next to him.

 

Carol began to instruct the children into a hand in hand position. Scott and Tessa faced in the same direction and were now side by side with their arms comfortably extending and their hands clasped. Tessa was on the right side latching onto him.

 

Scott was starting to feel like he couldn’t breathe. It was apparent he could blush even more, once they were told to touch their partners. Exchanges of whispered apologies were made along with echoes of laughter from the other students.

 

When they eventually started to skate, Tessa found herself trying to mimic Scott’s foot position while he tries to mirror her movement. They copy each other stroke for stroke, glide for glide around the rink; managing to avoid any collisions. When Tessa feels as if she’s starting to slip from his grip, Scott holds her hand even tighter and closer to his chest.

 

When they finished their circuit, the children took notice of Cara and Carol’s notes and made corrections. At the end of their first session, Cara instructs all the children to do a few cool down laps before their parents arrive.

 

Tessa began to skate away in silence before, without hesitation, Scott comes up behind her and grabs her hand, guiding her along the corners of the rink. They stroke gently across the ice, and Scott tries not to bump into her skates.

 

“Alright everyone, you’re done for the day. Don’t forget to grab your skate guards and bags on your way out,” Carol calls, scribbling something down on her clipboard.

 

Finishing their last lap around the perimeter, gliding towards Carol, Tessa feels the warm presence that held her so close, slowly start to disappear. That’s when she looks down to notice, Scott was barely letting go of her hand, his fingertips ghosty mulling over hers.

 

“You guys did mighty fine today,” Carol says, looking down at the blushing boy and girl in front of her. “Say, why don’t you go treat yourself to a hot chocolate, before your mom arrives Tessa? On the house,” She beams down at the little girl before she’s gone off skipping.

 

“You two looked great out there, Scotty. I’m very proud of your manners today,” Carol says, giving her nephew a hug.

 

Scott shrugs his shoulders to hide his glistening cheeks. “It was nothing,” He tries to say nonchalantly.

 

“Well, I definitely think you two will partner from now on. What do you say?” Carol says looking for an ounce of excitement from Scott.

 

“Sure thing aunt Carol,” Scott musters a sly grin. “Great. Now, why don’t you go help out your little partner before your mom gets here eh?” Carol casts Scott a wink while placing a few coins in his hand. He gives her the sweetest smile and is off running again like a maniac.

* * *

  
“Now, what can I get for you today little lady?” A man sporting a long sleeve zip-up jacket asks.

 

Tessa is too short to read the menu board at the small stand, so she lets out a few disgruntled sighs before giving him a content smile. “Do you have hot chocolate?” She squeaks.

 

“Yes we do young lady, would you like some whipped cream as well?”

 

Tessa nods eagerly and the man laughs.

 

“Make it two Eric, and we have a deal,” Scott interrupts, appearing right next to Tessa’s shoulder. She turns around immediately to catch him staring intently at her.

 

“Of course, Scott. Two hot chocolates with whip cream coming up for you and…”

 

“Tessa,” Scott says to Eric giving him the coins from his hand, but keeps his eyes on Tessa’s the entire time.

 

“Great. How about some complimentary donuts?” He asks, sticking his head out the window to watch Tessa scrunch her nose.

 

“That sounds good,” Scott says before turning to Tessa, also noticing her scrunched nose, which was too adorable Scott thinks. “You okay, Tessa?”

 

“Um yeah, I just can’t read the board,” She whispers loud enough only for Scott to hear. “That’s okay, here let me help you,” Scott says, looking for Tessa’s nod of approval. Once granted, he lifts her up high enough to view the board.

 

“Why hello there,” Eric laughs. “Hi,” She giggles back. With enough time to read the menu to Scott, they both decide on a selection of chocolate glazed, vanilla, and maple.

 

Scott carefully places Tessa back on the ground to go grab a seat. While Scott waits for their order, he watches Tessa pull out what looks like a teddy bear from her bag.

 

Walking towards Tessa, Scott inhales a nervous breath. He can feel his hands starting to blister from grasping the cups too tightly. He slides one of the cups over to her and places their bag of baby donuts between them. “Thank you,” She says sweetly,

 

“You’re welcome,” Scott returns, He decides the silence between isn’t awkward, It’s peaceful. He convinces himself that they’re having a silent conversation with their eyes. Plus, he enjoys watching the rink lights flicker in her emerald eyes. They’re beautiful. He thinks he could watch them all day if she’d let him.

 

“Is that yours?” Scott asks, gesturing to her bear sitting on her lap. Tessa’s blush turns purple of embarrassment. Before she could find the words to say, Scott saves her the time. “I like it. I have one just like it, except it has a hockey jersey, not a tutu,” Scott smiles. Tessa returns the same wide grin back. “You do ballet,” He states.

 

Tessa bows her head. “Yeah,” She says, taking another sip of her cocoa.

 

“I can tell. You have a very graceful presence on the ice,” he says. “It’s nice to watch,” the corners of his mouth begin to twist inward noticing the whip cream residue on the button of her nose.

 

“You’ve got some cream on your nose there, tutu,” Scott says, gesturing to his nose.

 

Tessa tilts her head in awe while wiping her nose. “Tutu?”

 

“Yeah. Your new nickname, duh,” Scott grins down at her.

 

Tessa can’t help but throw her head back in laughter and Scott soon chimes in. He likes her laugh, It’s so thunderous and she’s just a tiny thing. He likes the idea that he can make her laugh.

 

“Tessa dear, your mom and sister are here,” Carol calls.

 

Tessa gets up from the bench, throws her bag over her shoulders and meanders over to her family.

 

“How was your lesson, Tessie?’ Jordan asks, hugging her sister, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

 

“Really fun,” Tessa giggles. “So we’ll see you next week?” Kate asks Carol, taking Tessa’s coat from her busy arms.

 

“Yep,” Carol happily sighs. “Have a good rest of your day-”

 

“Tessa,” Scott practically shouts her name, running from one side of the rink all the way over to her. Once he reaches her, he tries to catch his breath.

 

“Scott, indoor voices,” Carol warns.

 

“Sorry,” Scott coughs, choking on the air stuck in his lungs.

 

“Scott?” Tessa peers up at him confused.

 

“I didn’t want you to forget this,” Scott says, handing her, her teddy bear. She accepts it and with it a hug from Scott, catching him off guard; he melts into their embrace and takes in the scent of chocolate and something uniquely her.

 

“Thanks, Scott. I’ll see you next week,” She whispers in his ear before giving him a shy wave out the rink’s doors.

 

With a huge grin splitting his face, Scott waves her goodbye and makes his way home in a hurry. As soon as he gets to his room, he pulls out his school picture and begins to scribble something out in his messy scrawl. ‘Tessa, here is my picture. To the best partner ever, love Scott.’

 

He can’t wait to see her again.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back? Back again! This chapter was so much fun to write... I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!! Your comments are appreciated and make my day!!

Tessa was itching with anticipation, kicking her tiny legs back and forth in her car seat. Ever since her first lesson with Scott, she couldn’t wait to get back on the ice. Getting ready in the morning, she paid extra attention to her appearance. Tessa has always been a perfectionist, even as a seven-year-old, she is very articulate in what she wears. Everything has to be primped and neat, and if there is one wrinkle in her dress, she finds another. Keeping her family waiting at breakfast, Tessa decides on a pale green long sleeve leotard with a white shimmering tutu, with layers upon layers of sparkle tulle. Perfect for a girl with a fitting nickname as she twirls over to their car.

 

“Tessie, here take this. You need to eat something before hitting the ice,” Jordan says, offering her sister a granola bar.

 

“Thanks, Jo,” Tessa tries to make out, already devouring the chocolate chip goodness melting in her mouth.

 

“T, you’re making a mess,” Jordan giggles, brushing some crumbs gathering in her sister’s car seat. “You know, for such a tiny girl, you make giant messes.”

 

“Sue me,” Tessa throws her arms up, displaying her chocolate covered cheeks.

 

“Woah Tessie, those are some big words! You know what sue means?” Jordan smiles at Tessa’s growing smirk.

 

“Yeah Sam, where’d you learn that from?” Casey chimes in, lightly pinching his baby sister’s chubby leg.

 

Tessa shrugs her shoulders and tilts her nose up at her family. “T.V,” She squeals, getting illustrious laughter from her siblings in response, and an arched eyebrow from her dad.

 

“Looks like someone has been leaving the television on before leaving for baseball practice,” Jim grins, ruffling Casey’s hair.

 

“I don’t know what to say, dad...sue me,” Casey mocks, laughing.

 

Directing her gaze back to her baby sister fidgeting in her car seat, Jordan combs through Tessa’s baby hairs flying from her forehead.

 

“You excited to see Scott, T?”

 

Tessa nods eagerly, twisting her body to face her sister. “Yeah. He’s really cool, Jo,” Tessa states, her face serious.

 

“Oh is he?” Casey teases, poking Tessa’s tummy.

 

“Make sure he is always good to you, Sam,” He says, watching Tessa open her wide green eyes in response.

 

“Okie Dokie, Case,” Tessa babbles, reaching into her bag to pull out her teddy bear. Recently, Tessa discovered that her bear was her good luck charm. Every time, she brought it to practice, Tessa realizes that whenever she practices her toe loops, she lands them; or her twizzles get smoother. Coming to find out that Tessa would never let go of that stuffed animal, Jordan gave in and bought Tessa a matching pair of skates for her bear to wear at practice.

 

“You're bringing your bear to practice?” Casey asks, playing with the bear’s chubby arm.

 

“Yeah,” Tessa chuckles.

 

“Does Scott like your furry best friend?” Jordan directs her eyes from her sister before smiling at her brother.

 

“Yes. If it wasn’t for him, Teddy would be gone,” Tessa smiles, swinging her legs wildly.

 

The car falls silent as all the family members take turns fawning over Tessa playing with her bear, having Teddy attempt an axle on the ledge of the window sill.

 

“Okay. We’re here early, T. Just like you wanted,” Kate coos, pulling into a wide parking spot.

 

“When is her lesson?” Jordan tilts her head, looking at her sister who was oblivious to their conversation.

 

“Eight o’ clock, but Tessie specifically stated she needed to be here at seven twenty,” Kate tries to suppress a laugh.

 

“Ooh. Ambitious Tessa, I like it,” Jim grins, pinching his daughter’s cheek.

 

“Thanks, Daddy,” Tessa giggles through bubbles foaming from her lips.

 

“Let’s hit it,” Kate hops out of the car and opens her daughter’s door, walking hand in hand (and paw), they make their way into the arena.

—

“Don’t worry Charlie. All you have to do today is guard the stand. I swear sometimes those kids are cocoa addicts,” Alma giggles, leaning into her son for a quick embrace. Walking through the market before heading to the rink, the rambunctious family takes their time meandering the busy aisles.

 

“Why do I have to watch the stand? Why can’t Danny do it?” Charlie complains, tugging on his mother’s sweater.

 

“Because Danny did his chores last night and wasn’t the one to break the Zamboni,” Alma warns.

 

“Ugh,” Charlie starts to whine before getting laughed at by Danny. “For your information, I didn’t break it. Zach simply asked if I wanted to go for a joy ride,” Charlie seriously states, throwing a box of cereal into the cart.

 

“Yeah, joy ride for sure,” Danny snorts. “You do the crime, you do the time Char. Have fun dealing with the sugar rush hour,” He says, nudging Charlie’s shoulder.

 

“Great, just great,” Charlie winces at the thought of a hundred kids trampling him for a bag of donuts to get them through test day.

 

Charlie’s complaints soon go unnoticed as Scott makes a mad dash towards the pastry case. “Ooh,” Scott says in awe, peering through the glass at the selection of cookies, chocolates, and pure sweetness.

 

“Mom, can I get something?” Scott bounces up and down on his heels, his tiny fingers wrapping tightly around Alma’s thigh.

 

“Haha, okay, okay. But nothing too crazy, Scott. We don't want you crashing before practice starts,” Alma gives her son a quick squeeze of the hand.

 

With a brief nod, Scott carefully shoves his tiny hand into the case and pulls out two perfectly shaped chocolate chip cookies, and places them into a bag.

 

“Two? Why, aren’t we hungry?” Joe laughs, picking up his son and throwing him over his shoulder, not minding the people staring.

 

“They're not all for me. Who do you think I am, the cookie monster?” Scott giggles when his father places him down.

 

“Then who’s it for?” Danny asks, giving his brother a teasing smile.

 

“Tessa,” Scott simply says before turning towards the refrigerated section, pulling out two chocolate pints of milk, and walking up to the checkout line to wait for the rest of his family; which were standing right where he left them, baffled smiles and dropped jaws at the little gentleman that had graced their presence.

 

“Take notes, Char,” Danny says, throwing some groceries into Charlie’s flailing arms. “That brother of ours is going to get a girlfriend before you,” he chuckles, waltzing up to Scott to give him a high five.

 

“Yeah right,” Charlie falls back, watching as the clerk hands Scott his goodies for his newest friend with an adoring smile. She’s falling for the Scott Moir charm, alright. Scott probably could have said the stupidest thing on the planet and she probably would have rewarded him with a cash prize. Just as long as he gave her that dashing smile of his. Hey, maybe he could throw in a wink and she could pay for his college tuition too.

 

“Damn. He’s probably right,” Charlie groans, trudging up to the counter to join his family.

 

“Why are you sulking Char?” Scott wraps an arm around his brother’s shoulder. Danny joins in, crossing his arms. “Yeah Char, why so sad?”

 

“Oh, nothing. I'm just realizing I’m going to be alone forever,” Charlie throws his head back, letting a breath heave from his chest.

 

“Oh Char,” Danny begins to roll his eyes.

 

“Don’t worry about me boys, I have sugar rush duty to keep me occupied,” Charlie pretends to dry a fake tear.

 

“My brother, the princess,” Danny laughs, walking out of the store. “I call shotgun,” He half-whispers, running to the car.

 

“Hey no fair,” Charlie yelps, chasing after him. “And if I am such a princess, then you’re most definitely the frog, Dan,” he sticks his tongue out at his brother.

 

“You can have both roles. You're so extra,” Danny throws Charlie a sarcastic smile.

 

“If I am both, then what’s Scott?” Charlie asks, directing his gaze to his youngest brother who was happily content with holding his Marvin the Martian body pillow to his chest.

 

“The prince, duh,” Danny says, both boys smile at Scott the whole ride over.

–

 

The rink seems silent as Tessa steps inside. Not an eerie silence though, something about it was serene; the ice was calling to her. Making her way over to the warm room, Tessa kicks off her booties and pulls on her skates as quickly as she can; skipping on her skate guards all the way over to the opening of the ice. There were only a few kids idling about, working on their strokes with one of their instructors.

 

Pretending that Carol is there to guide her, Tessa starts to glide across the glossy crystal beneath her. Effortlessly rocking back and forth, practicing her outside and inside edges, allowing the sound of her blade scraping through the cold to fill her mind. The rush of air blowing through her ponytail.

 

When some of the kids get off the ice to grab some water, Tessa takes the opportunity to work on her spins. She gets discouraged when stumbling and falling on her palms, but it does not prevent her from trying again. Standing up, she wipes the frosty liquid off her tights and starts twirling.

\--

Peering over the second story of the rink, Scott watches the familiar brunette swirl across the ice making figure eights and all kinds of beautiful patterns. It’s mesmerizing. He allows himself to get lost in her beauty, taking every count into her movements, letting the ice lead her along the perimeter of the walls.

 

“Hey, Scott. What are you doing up here? Your lesson is starting soon,” Alma says, appearing next to his shoulder.

 

“It starts in five, I had to help out Charlie with plugging in the coffee maker,” Scott says, his eyes never leaving the girl on the ice.

 

“Well aren't you a little angel. All the staff will be kissing your feet after practice for supplying them with their oxygen,” Alma smiles, pressing a kiss to Scott’s forehead.

 

“It was nothing,” Scott shrugs.

 

Appreciating the quiet time she has with her son, Alma gazes at Scott’s adoring face, his head propped up on his chin, staring intently at the little girl whizzing by.

 

“Scott, why don’t you head down? I don’t want you to be late this time, no excuses,” Alma lightly wags her finger at Scott. "We don't keep ladies waiting."

 

“I get your message loud and clear, mom,” Scott salutes, heading for the stairs.

 

“And Scott?” Alma turns her head.

 

“Yes?” Scott asks, poking half of his body out the door.

 

“I’ll be watching,” Alma casts Scott a wink before he grins and is racing out of the room.

\--

Finishing up with her skating drills, Tessa recognizes as the ice starts to fill up with kids and a familiar cough makes its presence known. Turning her head around, Tessa yearns to meet its owner.

 

“Hey Tutu,” Scott smiles down at her, skating a circle around Tessa before taking her hand and spinning her around; getting a tremendous of laughter to spill from her lips. There’s that laugh he loved.

 

“Hey Scott,” Tessa smiles breathlessly.

 

They both spend the next two minutes staring at each other, holding hands until interrupted by Coach Carol and a mysterious blonde woman taking the ice.

 

“Okay children, quiet please,” Carol calls, gathering the attention of twenty sets of eyes.

 

“Thank you. Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Ms. Suzanne Killing Wood, but you all can call her Ms. Suzanne. She’s here to supervise and to teach. Please treat her with the same respect as you would treat me,” Carol says, receiving nods from the majority of the children.

 

“Okay. Now that, that is established, please get into pairs, and we will start with two rotations around the perimeter,” Carol claps her hands together and a light waltz begins to stream through the rink’s sound system.

 

When Carol gives her final directions the children are off. Tessa holds Scott’s hand and they glide along the curves of the rink until they reach the opposite side. Scott’s hand begins to shake hesitantly before placing it upon Tessa’s hip. His nervousness soon melts away when she extends her arm, and he tenderly grabs her other hand. (This time not covered with mittens!) Once they are in a proper dance hold, they stroke across the ice. Tessa counts in her head to keep pace and to avoid being distracted by Scott’s warm hand moving up and down her back.

 

After a few laps, Ms. Suzanne pulls them aside to chat; correcting their posture before sending them back to skate centre ice, and to be an example for all the other pairs to follow.

 

“I guess we make a pretty good team eh kiddo?” Scott asks, squeezing Tessa’s hand as they practice their edges.

 

“Yes we do,” Tessa chirps, squeezing his hand back.

 

“Alright everyone, you can take a quick break. Let’s say fifteen minutes,” Carol calls. “And then, I want all of you back here,” She directs her gaze to Scott. “Prompt.”

 

“Come on Tess, let’s go, I have something for you,” Scott says, taking her hand in his and pulling her off the ice.

 

They sit side by side in the bleachers. Tessa begins to blow into her hands and rub her arms briskly. She thinks she should have grabbed her jacket on the way up. Skating on the ice was one thing, you warmed up as soon as you took off, but sitting in the bleachers was like sitting in an avalanche.

 

Scott soon takes notice of Tessa’s chill by taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her.

 

“Oh, Scott. You don’t have to, you need-”

 

“No Tess, you need it more than me, you’re freezing,” Scott cuts her off, grasping her hand, letting his fingers cover hers. “I’ll warm you up,” He grins, pulling her body into his, huddling for closeness.

 

“Thanks,” is all she can fluster out. She was too busy staring at the way their fingers intertwined; Scott’s pinky clasping around the edge of her hand. As if his hand was meant to fit hers.

 

“So what did you have for me?” Tessa makes out, breaking the silence.

 

“Oh, right. Here,” Scott says, handing her the paper bag and icy chocolate milk. “I thought we’d deserve a treat for working so hard,” He says watching as Tessa becomes silent. “If you don’t like chocolate milk, I can always grab you something else T-”

 

Tessa cuts him off with a gentle kiss to his cheek, catching him off guard. “I love chocolate, more than you could ever know,” Tessa giggles, her irrational affection settling in her stomach. “Thanks, Scotty,” She whispers, taking a swig of her milk and munching happily into her cookie.

 

Scott presses his hand to his cheek before copying her and biting into his cookie and washing it down with his cold refreshment. Hopefully cold enough, to cool down the heat rising off his chest. “Anytime kiddo.”

\--

Watching the kids interact from afar, Alma moves to where Carol and Suzanne were standing at the bench; flipping through some schedules and discussing ice time.

 

“I think that is a fabulous idea Suz. And I believe it could be your best one yet,” Carol coos bouncing up and down.

 

“What did I miss?” Alma chimes in, taking a gander at the competition schedule Carol was holding between her thick mittens.

 

“Go ahead Suz, tell her about your idea,” Carol nods her head towards Alma.

 

Suzanne glances between the sisters before speaking. “Just watching your son and Tessa skate for the past two hours, I can already see the immense potential they possess. And I truly believe if you let me work with them, they could train together and compete in an ice dance competition. They're so in sync with each other already and with a few weeks more of practice, they could easily compete...and win.”

 

“Ice dance competition eh? Danny already competes at a junior level, but are they even eligible?” Alma asks.

 

“Certainly, they are within the age limit,” Suzanne nods eagerly. “So, what do you think?” Carol finishes for her.

 

“Is it something Scott would be interested in?” Suzanne asks, the women tilting their heads towards the pair snacking and laughing away.

\--

 

Scott had probably just said something funny as Tessa starts to snort and spill a bit of chocolate milk on her leotard. “Ah, Jordan was right, I am a mess. Can't take me anywhere,” Tessa giggles. She doesn't remember where she's heard that saying but she thinks it sounds mature, so she uses it.

 

“Who’s Jordan?” Scott asks, giving her napkins to help her clean herself up.

 

“My older sister,” Tessa answers, brushing away the spill.

 

“Well, if it helps by any means, I don’t think you’re a mess,” Scott says, lifting her to her feet.

 

“Thanks, but this stuff follows me around,” Tessa says, gesturing to the crumbs blending in with her freckles and the chocolate droplets from where she was sitting.

 

“Well then, I will always be here to make sure you don’t make a mess,” Scott puffs out his chest, causing Tessa to glow under the rink’s lights, laughing at his ridiculousness.

 

“Always?” Tessa beams up at him.

 

“Always together, Tutu,” Scott embraces her, trapping her arms at her sides; hugging her so tightly, she cannot breathe.

\--

 

“I think as long as Tessa is involved, he would be thrilled,” Alma smiles at the two women in front of her before smiling at the pair playing tag up and down the bleachers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Competition eh?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!! I figured I would update you!! I’ve been working all weekend on You’re That Part Of Me I’ll Always Need, so that should be up soon as well. I’m approaching finals and I’m super excited because that means more writing..Yay!! Hope you all had a happy mother’s day!!

Gliding on her fuzzy socks, Tessa proceeds to run into every kitchen counter in sight. It had been a busy week in the Virtue household and Tessa had not been at the rink for a few days. She was still determined to get her practice in though, even if that means endangering her life in the process. The last thing she wants is to lose her skill and let down Scott.

 

Ever since being paired to dance with him, Tessa has noticed how competitive they both become. Any time Tessa lands her toe loop, Scott attempts to make his better. Anytime she nails her crossover, he has to one-up her. She is not going to risk her chances of losing her improvement. Zipping in and out and around the tile, Tessa starts to feel her foot slide and get pulled out beneath her.

 

“I got ya,” Kevin, Tessa’s older brother says, catching her in his arms before hitting the floor.

 

“Oh Toepick, what are you thinking practicing in socks on the tile? You’re just asking to hurt yourself,” He shakes his head, placing his hands under Tessa’s armpits and lifting her into the air.

 

“Sorry, sorry,” Tessa giggles.

 

“I know you want to go to the rink, don’t you?” Kevin makes a silly face at her.

 

Tessa nods eagerly, her tiny hands grabbing onto his shoulders.

 

“Well, I think Casey’s friend has a hockey game today, would you like to go, hmm?” Kevin asks, lightly tapping his foot waiting for her reply.

 

Tessa does not have to think for another second before trying to weasel her way out of his firm grasp. “Let’s go, go, go,” Tessa squeals.

 

“Okay, but you’re going to go put on some proper clothes first. I don’t think I’m taking you to the rink in polar bear pajamas, little miss,” Kevin laughs, placing the antsy girl down.

 

“Got it Kev,” Tessa tilts her nose up at her tall brother, hovering over her like a giant.

 

Getting a brief nod from his baby sister, in one quick sweep, Kevin yanks her socks off of her tiny feet before heading upstairs. “These are a hazard.”

 

“What does that mean?” Tessa pouts.

 

“That you won’t even make it out the front door, let alone the rink if you leave the house in these socks,” Kevin chuckles. “Just holler when you’re ready.”

 

“Okie Dokie,” Tessa turns on her heels before she feels an arm reach out and grab hers.

 

“Tessie, where are you off to?” Kate says, pulling her child in closer.

 

“The Rink. Casey’s friend has a game,” Tessa states, putting her hands on her hips.

 

“Oh is that so…” Kate ponders.

 

“You know Tess, I think Carol mentioned something about Scott playing at the rink on Saturdays. That wouldn’t be the reason why you want to go would it?” Kate teases, lightly tickling Tessa’s tummy.

 

“Oh, that? I had no idea,” Tessa giggles, trying to escape Kate’s flailing arms.

 

“You are so silly,” Kate presses a kiss to her daughter’s forehead. “Go ahead, have fun,” she says. “And stay with Kevin the entire time, I don’t want you wandering off.”

 

“I will,” Tessa tugs on her mother’s sweater to tell her to let go.

 

As soon as Kate relinquishes Tessa, she is off racing up the stairs and throwing on her white peacoat that is a little too big but gets the job done. She had no clue that Scott played hockey at the rink on Saturdays, but stopping by to see him couldn’t hurt, could it?

* * *

 

There are two minutes left on the clock and Tessa can see the desperation in the boys' faces racing across the ice. Teetering on the edge of her seat, Tessa lets her eyes chase the dark-brown-haired boy maneuvering his stick around the goalie. All of the young boys were breathing heavily with their eyes glued to the puck. This was it. If they wanted to win, Scott had to score.

 

She watches as Scott’s Coach shouts a bunch of instructions towards the boys before receiving a quick nod in return. The bleachers are roaring with encouragement and Tessa is silently praying that Scott can pull the playoff. She holds in her breath as the referee initiates the puck drop. Scott breathes in and aims his gaze up towards the bleachers where it falls upon a familiar set of gorgeous green eyes. _Tessa._

 

As soon as the puck hits the ice with a thud, Scott turns his attention to his teammates. A tall blonde boy manages to snag the puck and pass it off to another tall boy and slips through a member on the opposing team’s legs, and it eventually lands right in Scott’s line of sight. Without hesitation, Scott takes the puck, tears left, twirls behind the net, and shoots! The goalie for the opposing team dives and the puck lands directly where Scott wants it.

 

The crowd goes crazy, giving hugs, and sharing words of encouragement. Tessa smiles as she watches the players huddle together and roughly play with each other’s hair.

 

“That was a great game wasn’t Sam?” Casey wraps an arm around his sister and squeezes.

 

“Yeah, it was. But they definitely could have called it better though. There were some moments they should have given penalties,” Tessa crosses her arms, nose scrunching, displaying her every freckle.

 

“Come on T, they won. Celebrate,” Kevin pinches Tessa’s shoulder.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Tessa’s eyes follow the same brown-haired boy as he gleefully jumps up and down in the air.

 

“What do you say, Sam, want to go get some hot chocolate before we head home? It’s already snowing outside,” Casey asks, shoving Tessa’s pale pink beanie on her head, spending extra time to flick the giant pom on top.

 

“Sure thing. Can I go say hi to my friend first?” Tessa asks innocently, trading glances between both of her brothers.

 

“Go ahead, but I want to be able to see you at all times, you understand?” Kevin chimes in, placing his hands on Tessa’s shoulders.

 

Tessa nods before heading down the stairs, weaving in and out of the crowd departing.

* * *

 

Scott is just about finished saying congratulations to every member of his team before being stopped in his tracks. There in front of him is Tessa. His Tessa. Dressed in a thick white peacoat with matching pink booties, she idles back and forth, throwing Scott a breathtaking smile. Skating towards her, Scott feels his heart beat louder and louder inside his chest. For a moment he thinks everyone in the rink can hear it too.

 

“Hey Tutu,” Scott happily sighs, picking her up and twirling her in his arms. “What are you doing here?” He says placing her back on the ground, receiving a confused, potentially hurt expression from Tessa.

 

“Not that I don’t want you here-”

 

“I came to see you play, silly,” Tessa playfully nudges Scott’s arm. “You did great out there by the way. You really make it look easy,” Tessa pins back a piece of her hair behind her ear.

 

“Want me to teach you?” Scott offers a hint of excitement in his voice.

 

“To play hockey?” Tessa gulps, looking back and forth between the ice and Scott’s eyes, that are searching her face expectantly.

 

“Well yeah,” Scott blushes, gesturing to the net. “Come on Tess, I’ll teach you and you’ll be a pro like that,” Scott says with a snap of his fingers.

 

“I don’t even have skates on,” Tessa complains.

 

“We’ll go get you some. Come on, my family owns the shop. Let’s go,” Scott giggles before pulling her out farther into the rink causing her to laugh; a few of the boys remaining on the ice stare at them warily and share some intriguing glances.

-

Stepping onto the ice in her brand new pair of hockey skates, Tessa cannot help but inch closer into Scott’s chest, gripping his hand like a vise.

 

“You’re okay Tutu. I’m right here,” Scott says, pulling her centre ice.

 

“This is different,” Tessa admits.

 

“Different?” Scott grins.

 

“I think I prefer my figure skates but I’ll give these a try for you,” Tessa smiles, looking up to sync their eyes so that they're blinking at the same time.

 

After explaining the rules to Tessa for what seems like five minutes, Tessa is ready to take off and never come back; but Scott’s warm hand keeps her in place, giving her an extra tug or two of support when discomfort grazes her face.

* * *

 

A few minutes in and Tessa is already whizzing across the ice like a pro, not even needing to hold Scott’s hand unless she wants to. (And she does.)

 

“Look at you go Tutu,” Scott says, tossing her the puck and ushering her to practice shooting.

 

Before she doubts herself Tessa aims along with the net and the puck launches…

 

“Woo Hoo,” Tessa cheers, spinning around, even throwing in a quick lutz for good measure.

 

Tessa’s brothers seem to hear her laugh all the way from the stands as they walk over and sit once more on the benches, and watch their sister have the time of her life.

 

“Mind if we join?” The tall blonde haired boy and brunette Tessa recognizes from the game asks.

 

“Um, I don’t know boys, I was just trying to teach her the basics, not send her off to the leagues,” Scott shakes his head full of disapproval.

 

“Oh, why not? How will she ever learn?” The brunette smirks, his smile dashing as he skates a circle around Tessa. Smiling even bigger when he stares into her eyes.

 

“Exactly,” The blonde nods. “I’m Charlie and this is Andrew, it’s nice to meet you?-”

 

“Tessa,” She half-whispers.

 

“Well it’s great to meet you, Tessa, pardon Scott’s terrible manners,” Charlie sarcastically winks at Scott.

 

“Oh my God, Charlie,” Scott whines.

 

“It’s really okay,” Tessa places a hand on Scott’s shoulder.

 

“So can we play?” The boys smile greedily.

 

“Guys, I don’t know,” Scott looks away from them to give Tessa an expression of worry, hoping that his eyes are enough of a message to say no.

 

“Let’s do it,” Tessa finishes for him, grabbing his hand and giving it a quick squeeze.

 

“Tess,” Scott gives her a look of uncertainty.

 

“Great,” both of the boys leave to skate a lap around the rink, leaving the two of them alone for a few moments.

 

“You don’t have to do this. Andrew and Charlie don’t always play fair,” Scott lets his thumb caress over Tessa’s wrist.

 

“I’ll be fine Scott. I have two older brothers, what’s the difference?” Tessa asks.

 

“That they’ve never played a girl,” Scott stares at her, his eyes never leaving her face.

 

“I’ll be okay and if not, I have you. Now, let’s go,” Tessa says, handing him his stick in one hand, and her hand in his other.

* * *

 

Everything had been going well until the boys were realizing that they were losing four to two by a girl. A girl! A seven-year-old girl! A girl that Scott has not stopped staring at as she glides past them smiling.

 

Finally having enough of the girl's adoring glow dancing across her cheeks, the boys decide to take action.

 

Launching himself forward as fast as he can, Andrew cuts Scott off in the corner of the arena. Charlie proceeds to charge forward to steal the puck. Passing it back and forth between each other, the boys decide to gloat in their victory. Tessa tosses Scott a quick glance before surging towards the boys and grabbing the puck right from under their noses. Before she can get away, Tessa senses something lightly slap the side of her arm, catching her off guard, and feels her body hitting the ice and sliding until meeting the boards.

 

“Tessa,” Scott yelps, practically running for her, lunging at her side to inspect the damage his teammates had caused.

 

“Oh my God, are you alright?” Scott panics, keeping one hand under her head and the other on thigh.

 

“I think so, but my arm hurts a little,” Tessa whimpers, holding it out for Scott to brush his hand over.

 

“You have a little cut,” Scott says, stealing a glance at the boys who had conveniently disappeared. “I knew they would take advantage of you,” He huffs.

 

Scott feels his heart tense up hearing a heavy sigh escape Tessa’s mouth.

 

“Tutu, this is all my fault. I should have said no,” Scott says, pulling her to her feet.

 

“It’s fine Scott, I wanted to play,” Tessa acquiesces, cleaning the ice off of her leg.

 

“But Tess-”

 

“Scott, stop apologizing. I’m fine really. I’m going to go to the bathroom, I’ll be back,” Tessa tries to smile, slowly trudging off the ice.

-

The last five minutes of Scott’s life seem like a blur. It feels as if the oxygen has been sucked out of the entire rink as Scott mulls around packing up his duffle waiting for Tessa. He hated seeing her in pain.

 

That’s when Scott comes to the realization that he doesn’t want to play hockey anymore. Well on a team at least. He likes hockey, always has and always will. But he loves dancing more. He loves skating with Tessa. Watching her get flung across the rink and thrown into the boards makes it obvious to him that all he wants is to hold her hand and never let her go.

 

Thinking back to what his mom had mentioned to him that morning, Scott could definitely see himself standing on top of a podium, trophy in hand, and the hand of the beautiful green-eyed girl in his other; waving to all of Canada in thanks of gratitude. Would she want the same thing though? He would give in then and there if she were to say yes. There was no way he would do this without her. Skating with anyone else would be wrong. (And it’s an avenue he never wants to go down.)

* * *

 

“Hey Tess,” Scott manages to say, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her into him. “Come with me, we can hang out in the office for a few minutes. Your brothers are busy talking to mine,” Scott ushers her over to the cramped back office.

 

They lie in silence for a while on the couch. He keeps his arms wrapped around her body and she keeps one hand holding her bear, and the other on Scott’s heart.

 

“You’re absolutely positive you’re okay?” Scott says, brushing his fingers over her arm, laying a soft kiss over her band-aid.

 

“I promise. Especially now that I’m with you,” Tessa nuzzles her head into his neck, allowing her eyes to peer between his and the photos of skaters along the wall.

 

“I cannot believe your brother has won so many awards. That’s pretty amazing,” Tessa coos, her fingers tracing the maple leaf on his shirt.

 

“Yeah. You know I always wanted to be like him?” Scott confesses, letting out a sigh.

 

“Why?” Tessa asks.

 

“The whole ice dancing thing seems cool, no pun intended,” Scott says, getting a deep chuckle from Tessa. “I want to do it...be something great.”

 

“You already are something great, Scott,” Tessa flashes him a smile.

 

“Thank you, Tutu," He says with a heavy breath.  "Hey, Tess?” Scott says with a bit of a nervous shrill in his throat.

 

“Yeah?” She turns to meet his hazel eyes, that have turned a golden brown in the dim light of the office.

 

“Would you want to compete with me? I mean you don’t if you don’t want to...But I think we could be something amazing. We already work so well together and I know you’re busy with dance already but if we give it a try-”

 

Tessa presses a kiss to the other cheek she had not kissed before. (I guess she was evening it out...or she just loved cutting him off with kisses. I mean it left him with a radiant glow.)

 

“I would love to compete with you, Scotty,” Tessa giggles.

 

“Oh thank God. For a minute there, I thought you were going to say no,” Scott lets out a sigh of relief.

 

“Never,” Tessa grins, poking him lightly in the chest.

 

“Okay, good. Because to me Tutu, it makes more sense to hang out with a cute girl than to hang out with nineteen other guys,” Scott admits, giving her one last hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So softttt.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!! Here's a little update. I have been swamped with homework and studying like crazy; today I just had one of my major finals...eek. But I will try my best to update YTPOMIAN very soon. Tomorrow I'm headed to a musical so we'll see! Anywho, Happy birthday Tessa!!

“Scott, remember to elongate your stokes. You’re leading Tessa, she’s not leading you,” Suzanne reminds him, lightly pressing her fingers against his shoulders.

 

Scott glances up to meet Tessa’s tired eyes before letting out a huff. She isn’t exactly a morning person and arranging these carpools with each other at four in the morning is slowly depriving her of the rest she clearly needs.

 

“Can I go get some water?’ Scott asks. “I need a break from this,” Scott gestures, flinging his hands in between the coach and Tessa.

 

“Sure thing Scott. Go cool down,” Suzanne ushers him to the benches, where he props himself down. He places his guards on for a few seconds before taking a sip from his water bottle.

 

He watches as Suzanne and Tessa work through some twizzles and a portion of their step sequence choreography.

 

“Tess, you’re doing great, why don’t you keep working on your inside edges? I’ll be right back,” Suzanne says before gliding over to where Scott is sitting. She can see the sleep eating at him and something else she cannot decipher.

 

“Scott? What’s wrong, I thought you were both doing great out there?” Suzanne shakes her head.

 

“I don’t get it,” Scott drops his head into his palms.

 

“The choreography? If it’s that, Scott we can work on it-”

 

“No. The choreography is just fine. Tessa’s just so effortless, everything is so easy for her. And here you have me struggling, barely trying to avoid stepping on her skates,” Scott murmurs, picking at his nails... “I’m basically her background music.”

 

“Scott, you should not make comparisons between you and Tessa. You two work as a unit. A team. You’re in this together and you compete together as one. When she improves, you improve, vice versa. Never doubt your skill on the ice, Scott,” Suzanne rests her hand on his shoulder, offering her support. “Do you understand?”

 

“Yeah,” Scott says softly, watching as Tessa finishes her Choctaw gracefully, her face full of glee. He can’t stay gloomy for long, watching Tessa’s face fill with excitement.

 

“Okay good. Now come on, we have a lot more work to do if you guys want to place on the podium this weekend,” Suzanne says, pulling Scott to his feet.

 

“We will,” Scott nods his head with confidence.

 

“That’s the attitude I’m looking for,” Suzanne pats him on the back, inching him closer to Tessa.

 

“Are you ready, Scott?” Tessa smiles up at the boy’s sweaty, messy hair.

 

“Certainly T,” Scott returns her smile, placing his hand on her waist, causing her to inhale sharply.

 

“Good,” She exhales before moving so that her mouth is directly under his ear. “And just so you know, you’re never the background music,” Tessa says sweetly. Before Scott can get a word in, an illustrious wave of waltz comes streaming through the speakers, and they’re off.

-

“Sit still, won’t you?” Carol complains, taking another pin from her cushion to fix a tiny hole within Scott’s sleeve.

 

“How much longer is this going to take?” Scott fidgets with his fingers, twiddling on his skate guards.

 

“I have to make sure your costume is perfect before you get on the ice. We need to see how it moves and if it looks right with Tessa’s,” Carol explains, tightening her grasp on her nephew’s arms.

 

“But Tessa always looks good,” Scott arches an eyebrow up at her.

 

“Very true,” Carol laughs. “But you still have to do this, Scott. Danny has to do the same thing for his competitions.”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Scott rolls his eyes, thinking back to watching his brother samba in that heinous red sparkly shirt. He begins to snicker but is stopped after Carol accidentally stabs him with a pin. He thinks he’s lucked out. Dressed in some slick black pants, Carol is doing the finishing touches on his soft, white shirt.

 

“Tessa, Sweetheart, Do you need any help?” Carol calls to her from the hallway outside of the bathroom.

 

“I’m good, just give me a second,” Tessa calls back, playing with her baby tendrils that do not seem to stay put. She peers at herself in the mirror and cannot believe what she sees. She looks like an angel. A long, white silk dress with the smallest sprinkling of iridescent glitter towards the bodice. As she twists the thin silver straps placed at her shoulders, she allows herself to take in a breath and hold it for what seems like hours.

 

A tall willowy blonde emerges from one of the bathroom stalls and rearranges her obnoxiously pink dress. She quickly applies some sticky lip gloss before turning her head to glare at Tessa. “Cute dress,” She sneers, looking at her up and down before laughing ou the exit.

 

Tessa stands there dazed and confused, looking over at herself in the mirror once more. She feels her esteem start to diminish, taking in every freckle kissed upon her skin. Her pale skin. Her fragile frame. Leaning over the sink, Tessa lets a few tears hit the floor.

-

“Okay, Scott, you’re all done. Would you do me a favour and go check on Tessa? She’s taking an awful while in there,” Carol says, placing her sewing scissors back into her bag.

 

“Of course,” Scott nods.

 

“Thank you. I’ll be in the stands finishing the last minute details on your coat and tails. Come meet me when you’re done,” Carol grins before she’s gone.

 

Scott briskly walks over to the ladies room before pressing his ear up against the door. Listening in, Scott can make out a muffled cry.

 

Knocking on the door softly with his fist, “Tess? Are you in here?”

 

Silence.

 

Opening the door slowly, Scott covers his eyes with his hand, trying not to disturb anyone present, “Okay, I’m coming in. Attention to all ladies in here, it’s not what it looks like-”

 

“Scott, no one else is in here,” Tessa chokes, resting her head on her forearm as she lays on the floor.

 

Scott removes his hand to find his partner huddled on the floor, hiding her eyes from view.

 

“Oh, Tess,” Scott sighs, sliding across the floor, taking her face in his hands. “What’s wrong? Come on, look at me,” Scott demands.

 

Tessa doesn’t look up other than to reach out her arms and hold him against her. Leaning into the crook of his neck, Tessa begins to sob. Scott can’t help but caress her hair that has fallen from her bun, draping it along her back. He melts into the feeling of her hot tears dripping down his neck and collarbone.

 

“Tutu, what’s wrong? You can tell me.”

 

“The way she looked at me,” Tessa chokes on her very few words.

 

“Who Tess?” Scott shakes her frail arms.

 

Tessa looks up to meet his glazed over eyes with her bloodshot ones. He softens a smile. He's trying to remain positive for her but seeing her like this hurts.

 

“I don’t know, some girl. She looked at me like I was the most disgusting thing,” Tessa sniffles, rubbing her nose.

 

“Tess, you are the farthest thing from disgusting. That girl must be delusional or just insecure because you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” Scott whispers.

 

“Really?” Tessa is cringing internally at how needy she sounds.

 

“Really, really. Tutu, you are an actual angel.” Softly he presses a kiss to her cheek. “Never doubt that.”

 

“Thanks, Scotty,” Tessa manages to stand on her feet, still latching onto his shoulders.

 

“Always,” Scott says, taking her hand in his, leading her out the door and onto the ice. "Whenever you think you're not good enough, you know I will always be here to confirm it a million more times, just so you can hear it."

 

“Ahh, you guys look beautiful,” Carol coos, Suzanne chiming in with overall joy as well.

 

Getting into their opening position, Scott presses his forehead against Tessa’s. “Well, Tessa does beautiful really well.”

-

“Very good practice today, the both of you. Why don’t you get home and get some rest, we have a big weekend among us,” Suzanne chirps, rusting with the children’s hair.

 

“Okie Dokie,” Scott salutes, packing up his bag, Tessa nods along.

 

“Tell your parents to be safe, it’s snowing buckets outside,” Suzanne waves them goodbye.

 

As soon as she hears the arena’s doors shut, Tessa props herself up on the edge of the rink. Allowing herself to peer through the large glass window, Tessa watches as millions of snowflakes come cascading down, blowing about in the wind.

 

She lets herself get lost in watching the ice twirl throughout the air before sensing a warm presence wrap around her waist.

 

“Hey, T, you know if you want, you can stay over at my place tonight,” Scott practically whispers in her ear, watching her face for any reaction.

 

“Only if you want to, I just figured since we’re traveling together, might as well stay together?” Scott shrugs his shoulders.

 

“Sounds like a plan,” She smiles, breaking her trance from the snow to meet Scott’s coffee coloured eyes.

 

“Then come on Tutu,” Scott pulls on her arm, opening the arena door for her.

 

“Scott, it’s cold,” Tessa shivers under her very thin tights, grasping her body for warmth.

 

“Don’t worry, I got you. I’ll protect you from the chilly Canadian air,” Scott giggles, holding a confident stance before getting lightly bopped on the head.

 

“Hey?!”

 

“Come on, you big goof. Let’s get home so we can sleep,” Tessa says, running from him to Alma’s car.

 

Scott stands back for a while, letting a few raindrops dance across his cheeks, melting the residual heat rising from his chest.

 

This was the first time Scott realized that his home was not a place. It was a person. It was Tessa. And it would always be Tessa.

-

It took them a while, but after twenty minutes, Scott and Tessa had officially finished making their blanket fort in the living room. Crawling through the opening, where Tessa draped a maple leaf blanket, she could make out the sound of the ever so impending rain pouring on Scott’s porch.

 

After getting herself situated under at least ten blankets and propping herself upon pillows, Tessa lies back and rests her eyes for a few seconds; taking in the sounds of chirping crickets and the pitter-pattering of drizzle.

 

“Psst. Tess. Tess?”

 

“What?” Tessa opens one eye, noticing that Scott is staring at her intensely.

 

“Are you still awake?” Scott whispers.

 

“Clearly,” Tess rolls her eyes internally. “Why?”

 

“I just wanted to tell you that today was our best practice yet and that I hope we do well tomorrow,” Scott smiles at her bashfully.

 

“Awe, I think so too, Scott,” Tessa reaches out to grab his hand and gives it a quick squeeze. “And thank you again, for that talk. It really helped.”

 

“We should always confide in each other Tutu,” Scott nods his head, moving a piece of her hair behind her ear.

 

“Well, okay then... I confess that I’m a little nervous for the competition,” Tessa says slowly, watching as he does not remove his hand from her face.

 

“I am too, Tess. But we’ll do it together, like always,” Scott lies down next to her, inching in closer so that they are nose to nose.

 

Suddenly, thunder strikes and Scott jumps up and falls into Tessa’s accepting arms. Holding him tightly, Tessa’s hand begins to run over his back. “You’re okay Scotty, it’s just a little storm. It will pass,” Tessa coos into his ear, she hears him mumble something but cannot make out what he says.

 

“Pardon me?”

 

“Anywhere you go, let me go too,” Scott mumbles into her collarbone, sending shivers down her spine. Resting her head upon his, they both fall soundly asleep to the pounding rain and each other's heartbeats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are you guys thinking?...


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some good fluffiness!! How are you all doing? Let's chat<33

Breathing in the heavy scent of clove and something uniquely him, Tessa nuzzles her body into the comfort of Scott’s accepting arms under the layers upon layers of blankets propped between them.

 

Tessa feels him shift his weight as he moves to wrap his legs around hers, rustling about. He attempts to tame her restlessness by stroking her back gently.

 

It’s not working…

 

It’s only making her breathing rapid and her heartbeat pound within her chest even louder.

 

“Tess,” Scott mumbles into her neck, his lips vibrating under her ear, sending an electric wave up to her spine.

 

Quickly blinking open her eyes, Tessa comes to find a messy-haired Scott latching around her waist, inching her towards the opening of the fort. Did they really move that much during the night?

 

Trying to be as light as possible, grabbing onto his fingers, Tessa removes his hand off her waist and he retrieves it, placing it on her face.

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Tessa half whisper giggles, taking his hands in hers, setting them aside.

 

Briskly sneaking away, Tessa tiptoes out from the covers attempting not to wake Scott and walks through the opening they created, heading for the kitchen.

 

Opening the fridge, Tessa giddily spots a bottle of chocolate milk and greedily snatches it. Turning her body to silently open the cap, she senses a hot presence washing over her back.

 

“You think I wouldn’t notice you waking up and leaving T?”

 

“Ah,” Tessa shrieks, dropping the bottle from her grip. Scott catches it before it spills, placing it down on the counter.

 

“Good catch,” Tessa sighs, nervously scratching her arm.

 

Ignoring her, Scott moves in closer, hovering over her tiny frame.

 

“Why did you leave, Tess?” Scott croaks, a bubble stuck in his throat.

 

Tessa is racking her brain trying to find something reasonable to say. She hopes the rain outside starts up again soon to disguise the breath hitching in her lungs.

 

“I couldn’t sleep,” Tessa confesses, twiddling with her baggy shirt. “Why you?”

 

“You weren’t there,” Scott heaves, taking her hand in his. “It got dark.”

 

“Oh, Scott, was it the storm?” Tessa’s face washes over with guilt.

 

“Tutu, please don’t leave me again. It scared me to wake up and find you gone,” Scott embraces her tightly, pressing his lips to her forehead sweetly.

 

“I’m sorry, Scott. I won’t leave you ever again. I promise,” Tessa looks off into the distance, bracing herself into Scott’s touch.

 

“Good. I wouldn’t know what I’d do without my partner,” Scott says, releasing her, handing her the chocolate milk.

 

Tessa smiles taking a sip, “Same goes for you, partner.”

 

“We’ve got a long weekend ahead of us, kiddo. Come on, let’s rest while we can,” Scott pulls her towards the empty spot they left warm.

 

Leaning each other’s heads against one another, the pitter-pattering of snow begins to fall and take over the sound of their murmuring whispers of encouragement.

* * *

“Big, big day tomorrow.” Alma frantically runs around and about the car, loading it with everything they could possibly need. The competition was only a little under six hours away and she was packing the entire house within the trunk.

 

“Mom, do we really need all this?” Scott gestures to the mountain of bags tossed to the side of the car.

 

“Yes, Scott. You’ll understand once you start competing regularly like Danny. Now, get in,” Alma lightly pats him on the head towards the car door. “Where’s Tessa?”

 

Scott starts to panic and looks around the outside of the house with misty eyes. “She was just-“

 

“Right here,” Tessa squeaks, jumping into the car, her bear trudging behind her; it’s paw almost getting caught in her seatbelt.  “And ready to rock,” she throws him a comforting wink, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze.

 

Scott casts her a longing glance before being pushed into the van.

 

“What do you guys say when we reach halfway, Tim’s?” Joe asks, tipping his hat off his head to take in the adorable sight of Tessa sinking her body against Scott’s.

 

“Mmm, yes,” Scott sighs, taking a hand and rubbing it along his rumbling stomach. “What do you think, Tess? Cocoa?”

 

“Timmy’s!” Tessa cheers, receiving an enormous amount of laughter from the car audience.

 

A few hours into their journey, Tessa starts to feel her eyelids wearily dropping and flitter shut as the daylight fades behind them. 

 

“Tess, Tess, your hot chocolate?” Scott whispers, now aware that she had fallen asleep upon his shoulder; nuzzling her tiny cold nose into his neck, slightly ticking him senseless.

 

“Aw, poor thing, she’s exhausted. Here, give me her drink, Scotty. Let her rest,” Alma yawns, accepting the warm beverage, leaning back against her headrest.

 

Brushing away a stray hair from her cheek, Scott takes this precious time to memorize every twitch of her nose down to her lips bubbling of sleepy smiles. She looks simply at peace...so beautiful. No one can look that good sleeping but apparently, Tessa can.

* * *

“I’m just going to park here and we can unload the lot. Honey, why don’t you wake up the kids?” Joe says, turning into a vacant hotel parking lot, lit dimly by a few blinking lights. 

 

“Scott, we’re here. Wake Tessa,” Alma smiles down at her glassy-eyed son.

 

“Tutu, we’re here,” Scott gently caresses her hand, unfolding her fingers from their previous clenched manner, grasping onto her Marvin the Martian body pillow.

 

“Huh?” Tessa makes out softly, her eyes filtering between worry and confusion before falling upon Scott’s comforting hazel gaze.

 

“Come on, Tess, time for bed,” Scott says, pulling her pillow softly out from under her, ushering her to jump onto his back once climbing out of the car.

 

“It’s okay T, I’ll never drop you,” Scott affirms her, feeling her legs grip around his waist tightly, pinching his skin.

 

“I believe you, now let’s go before I completely give out,” Tessa lightly tugs on his upper arms.

 

“You got it, T. We wouldn't want that. I kind of need my skating partner to dance with tomorrow,” Scott grins before making a dash for their hotel room with Tessa slowly falling back asleep to the sound of his heart beating. Could he feel mine too? She thinks, dozing off.

* * *

“You look absolutely heavenly,” Suzanne says, playing with a piece of shimmering light pink fabric swirled around Tessa’s petite frame. Carefully placing some small, matching rose hair clips into her soft, bouncy curls, Alma and Carol cannot help but coo at the adorable, baby princess in front of them. Their routine is a Viennese waltz to Once Upon A Dream from Sleeping Beauty.

 

Suzanne and Carol had both agreed after searching through countless songs, this one was it for them. They are the dream team and they are just too good to be true, like a dream…

 

“Tessa, you are an absolute beauty, truly,” Alma smiles, applying some light pink chapstick to Tessa’s lips.

 

“Thank you,” Tessa whispers back, twiddling with her iridescent sparkly sleeves.

 

“Scott are you ready?” Carol calls sewing on a last-minute sequin.

 

“Yep,” Scott comes in through the door skipping, stopping as soon as he lays his eyes on Tessa’s, forgetting whatever he was going to say before.

 

If time could stop all at once it would be at this moment. If he could, Scott would stare into the abyss of Tessa’s mossy green orbs and drift into a deep sleep just as Aurora did. 

 

“You look nice, Scott,” Tessa breaks his trance, relishing in the perfect wave of his hair and his silky shirt matching her dress.

 

“Oh, thanks. Not as good as you though,” Scott blushes, moving to stand shoulder to shoulder with her. “You look pretty, T.”

 

“Thanks,” she mumbles back, casting her eyes to her toes wiggling up and down in her skates. She’s starting to feel dizzy, her laces tightening, cutting off her circulation. If she hears one more compliment, she will collapse she thinks.

 

“Okay kiddos, time to head out,” Carol announces, Suzanne helping her by slinging her bag over her shoulder.

 

“Let’s hit it,” Alma says, following her sister out the hotel door.

 

Scott hesitates to do the same, turning his head, finding Tessa zoning out. Her hair cascading to the side, eyes focusing intensely on the coffee table.

 

Reaching out to snag her hand, Scott quickly intertwines their fingers. “Together?”

 

Tessa briskly shakes her head before peering up at him sweetly. “Together.”

 

As if it was a blur, they were out hand in hand, walking towards the arena in their own little bubble.

* * *

“Okay, guards,” Suzanne lightly demands, taking one from Scott, looking at Tessa as she places hers along the boards evenly.

 

“Make sure no one moves them,” Tessa arches an eyebrow up at Scott as she leaves to do a warm-up lap around the ice.

 

“They’ll have to get through me, T,” He calls to her. “What?” Scott turns to see Suzanne wearing a stupid smile.

 

“You would cross the Earth for her if it meant no one would touch those guards,” Suzanne pats his back.

 

“Or her,” Scott offers, watching intensely as Tessa almost gets cut off by another couple. “Talk later, Suz.”

 

Gliding to her, Scott grabs her hand and places it over his heart, gently blowing on it for warmth. “You okay Tutu? They didn’t hurt you did they?”

 

“No. Just came pretty close. I’m fine,” Tessa breathes, matching Scott stroke for stroke.

 

“Come on T, let’s get you warm,” Scott says, pulling her into his chest, at least five feet away from any individual daring to cross their path.

* * *

“Up next, our youngest team yet, representing Canada...Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir,” An announcer calls once they step onto the ice.

 

Softly pressing a kiss to her hand, Scott lets go of Tessa as they take their beginning stance.

 

Leaning into Scott’s shoulder, Tessa can feel Scott’s body tense up. “Scott, we’ve got this. It’s just you and me.”

 

“Leave it all on the ice,” Scott reminds her but it’s mostly for himself to take note of.

 

As soon as the magical waltz streams through the speakers, Scott takes in a deep breath and exhales, leading Tessa into their first spin.

 

Getting distracted within his own bubble for a split second, Scott dazes and stumbles halfway through the step sequence. They quickly recover, Tessa, catching his gaze to console him.

 

_ I know you, _

_ I walked with you once upon a dream _

_ I know you, _

_ The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam _

_ Yet I know it's true _

_ That visions are seldom all they seem _

_ But if I know you _

_ I know what you'll do _

_ You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream. _

 

Stealing a second to run his fingers through her hair, Scott lets his hand caress her cheek lovingly to silently send her a message of how sorry he is. He knows how much of a perfectionist Tessa is and he knows how she’s going to react to him messing their routine up for them. Especially at their first competition. He thinks he’s doomed.

 

_ Once upon a night, _

_ I dreamed we'd be together _

_ In love forever. _

_ Once upon a night, _

_ I was wishing for a never, _

_ A never-ending. _

_ Once upon a night _

_ Once upon a time _

_ Once upon a wish _

_ Once upon a dream. _

 

They finish their routine, Tessa stands up from the dip Scott is holding her in; his arms grabbing onto her tightly. Too scared that she hates him and that she’ll never want to skate with him ever again. What’s wrong with me? He thinks. How could I have been so stupid?

 

The applause is astounding. The audience cheers and it lasts for what seems like hours. It’s the best feeling in the world they both think. To perform in front of what feels like the world. The maple leaf on their backs.

 

“Representing Canada, Tessa Virtue, and Scott Moir,” The announcer says once more, as they take their final bows before exiting the ice, receiving teddy bears and flowers galore.

 

After placing their guards back on, they make their way towards the kiss and cry. Suzanne whispers a few encouraging words in both of their ears before handing each of them a water bottle.

 

“The scores please,”

 

“Tessa and Scott have received in the free dance 89.0 points and are currently in third place.”

 

Crushing them both in an overwhelming tight embrace, Suzanne congratulates them happily. “I am incredibly proud of you both! Tonight calls for an epic celebration.”

 

Leaving the kiss and cry, Tessa starts to make her way towards the dressing rooms before lining up for the medal ceremony. Before she can run, Scott meets her pace in panic.

 

“Tess, I’m so, so sorry. I don’t know what happened out there. I owe you the biggest cup of hot chocolate. I completely understand if you don’t want to talk-”

 

Surging forward, Tessa softly lays a kiss across Scott’s lips, causing his eyes to widen and fly open before relaxing.

 

“You’re not mad?” Scott manages to say, his voice a few pitches higher than normal.

 

“We’re in this together remember? Just from now on I’ll learn your steps too,” Tessa smiles giddily.

 

Picking her up and twirling her around, Scott feels the weight of worry release from his chest. “You’re the best Tutu! I love you-”

 

It comes out. He doesn’t remember how...but it does. No taking it back now, and he wouldn’t.

 

“You love me?” Tessa rubs her nose against his.

 

“Well, of course, Tutu. But if you don’t feel the same right now, it’s okay-”

 

“I love you too, Scotty. Always. Now come on let’s celebrate and go get our medal,” Tessa jumps out of his arms, inching closer to the opening of the platform.

 

“You walk too fast, live in the moment, T,” Scott smirks, watching her turn on her heels, the bountiful amount of pink sparkly tulle blowing in the rink air.

 

“I am right now with you. You coming, slowpoke?” Tessa giggles, running away from his enclosing perimeter.

 

“Where you lead, I will follow,” Scott calls out, chasing after her into the darkness. ‘You’re such a tease Tess, where are you?’ He thinks, looking between the crowd gathering around the arena and the stage the rink had set up.

 

‘Right there,’ He catches her sneaking out behind a pillar. Before disappearing, he latches onto her waist, pinning her against the rink's wall. 

 

“Anywhere that you tell me to,” She smiles up at him, her eyes twinkling in the arena's pale starlight.

 

Scott allows his eyes to drift from hers down to her soft, rosebud coloured lips. Gosh, he would do anything to kiss her again. Would she even let him? He was dying to find out. If only he could worm up the courage and ask.

 

Once receiving their medals, they both walk to the car with a new spring in their steps; humming to their own beat. 

 

“Now, I recall you mentioning a cup of hot chocolate?” Tessa winks.

 

“That I do,” Scott wraps his arms around hers.

 

“With let’s say...extra marshmallows?” Tessa asks with a glittery gleam in her eyes.

 

“All the marshmallows and chocolate you want, T,” Scott offers her his hand into the car.

 

“Keep talking Scott, keep talking,” Tessa hums into his ear the entire way home.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!! How have you all been? Anywho, here is the next update:) Only a few more chapters with VM as kids before their teenage years...eek<33

It’s a gloomy spring day in Ilderton as Tessa laces up her skates, peering out the window of the rink. Stealing a quick sip of her orange juice, Tessa savours the tangy sensation gliding down her throat like honey; sticky and sweet. Even though morning practice is the absolute worse, she’s starting to think that this is her favourite time of the day. It’s quiet, only the sound of the rink’s old flickering lights is heard as she arches her neck against the wall. She hardly gets any alone time while she’s at home. Every minute of the day is usually spent running about, helping her siblings or mulling around school. But, right now, the three hours of relief she receives is a miracle.

 

“Hey, T. Ready to go?” Scott asks, offering her a warm hand.

 

And this is why she loves what she does. This is the very reason she wakes up at the crack of dawn every morning when her eyes are still glued shut. Why she risks being late every day to ballet practice and hearing the same lecture over and over again. He’s the reason that makes all of this worth it.

 

Tessa gives him a curt nod with tired eyes before removing her jacket and taking his hand in hers. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

 

“Good morning,” Suzanne perks up, pulling on a pair of mittens, taking extra time on her ring and pinky finger.

 

“Morning Suz,” Scott says cheerfully, wrapping an arm around Tessa, engulfing her in a tight hug. “Might want to take it a little easy on this one today, she seems a tad grumpy,” He smiles down at her.

 

“I’m not grumpy,” Tessa huffs. “Just sleepy,” She rubs an eye before slugging him in the shoulder.

 

“Hey!” Scott yelps, laughing.

 

“Well, today isn’t going to be very difficult. You both will be learning the new choreography to your new routine for the Bloom Where You Are Planted Spring exhibition coming up,” Suzanne says, skating between them to prevent a tickling match from breaking out.

 

“That sounds good. What are we doing?” Scott says, rubbing his arm jokingly. ( Sticking his tongue out at Tessa when Suzanne turns her back.)

 

“You’ll be doing the foxtrot to The Sound of Music’s My Favourite Things. It will be a _huge_ crowd pleaser. Very upbeat, fun, and there will be some new intricate lifts,” Suzanne flips through her notepad.

 

“Oh, I love that movie,” Tessa yawns. Scott smiles widely at the sight of her eyes opening for the first time. It's almost as if the whole world wakes up to those beautiful eyes. “If you love it, I love it too.”

 

“You’ve never seen it?” Tessa gasps, clasping her hand over her heart while Scott shakes his head warily. The look on Tessa’s face says it all. “Well, now we have something to do later,” Tessa giggles, tugging on his sleeve.

 

“That sounds like a fantastic idea,” Suzanne chimes in, patting Scott on the shoulder. “For now, Tessa, Coach Carol called your ballet instructor and mentioned if Scott could take some lessons with you to improve his gracefulness," Suzanne says, giving Scott a sympathetic look.

 

“Oh, really?” Tessa asks, surprised. On the other hand, Scott's eyebrows are stretching to his hairline. “Wait a minute, what?”

 

“She said that it would be great for the both of you and that Scott could start today, As long as you’re okay with it?” Suzanne says apprehensively.

 

“Umm, sure. If Scott wants to, I’m perfectly okay with it,” Tessa turns towards him. His face slowly becoming a pale white while his cheeks remain blushing pink. “Scott?” Her voice cracks, giving his hand a quick squeeze to bring him back to the present.

 

“Yeah, I’ll do it,” Scott nods, receiving giddy applause from Suzanne in return before gliding to centre ice.

 

“You don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable, Scott, really. If you’re just doing it for me, you don’t need to,” Tessa says moments later as they proceed to warm up around the perimeter.

 

“I want to, Tess. For us,” He nudges her shoulder, covering her hand with his, placing it across his hip. “And then we can go home and watch that movie, and pretend that you didn’t spend all of ballet laughing at my goofy dancing skills,” He chuckles.

 

“I don’t know, Scott. That movie could give me a lot of time to crack some jokes,” Tessa teases, poking at his ribcage.

 

“A movie can’t go on forever, Tess,” Scott runs a hand through his hair nervously.

 

“The movie runs for almost three hours, Scott. I’m sure I can make time,” Tessa winks at him before releasing from his grip, leaving him to shake his head and bite down on his lips in laughter.

* * *

Hopping out of Alma’s van in a flurry, Tessa sprints to the studio’s doors, not minding that she’s leaving Scott behind to fend for himself.

 

“T, slow down. Why are you running so fast?” Scott asks, trying to catch up with her, his baseball cap almost flying off his head; luckily he grabs it before it blows away.

 

“We’re going to be late, come on,” Tessa calls, ushering him to the back door. She hopes they can sneak in and nobody will notice. Fumbling with the door as quietly as possible, she tangles her fingers with his, guiding him down the hallway.

 

“Right through here,” Tessa continues to drag him throughout the building until a high pitched cough makes its presence known.

 

“Ahem. Late again, Tessa?” Her ballet instructor, Sarah crosses her arms quizzically at her before turning her pointed stare to a fidgeting Scott. Tessa’s hand is still clutching his tightly enough to make his stomach burst of tiny fireworks, as she leans into his body. (Shielding him, if you will, from the lecture she knows she’s about to endure.)

 

“I’m so sorry, Ms. Sarah. I didn’t know that practice was going to run so long, Scott and I were having a little trouble with some moves and needed extra help,” Tessa explains, trying to catch her breath.

 

With a quick hum, Sarah ushers to Scott to go take off his shoes and stretch as she needs to have a little apparent “chat” with Tessa.

 

“Tessa, this is the tenth time in the past two months you have been late to practice. You’re making habits and I don’t like seeing dancers make habits, we’re supposed to break them,” She says, pulling her wrap around her.

 

“I’m really sorry, Ms. Sarah. I don’t know how to fix this,” Tessa shakes her head. She can already feel the hot tears fighting to make their way down her face.

 

“Tessa, start with taking accountability of your actions. The only reason why I agreed to help you with these extra lessons is that I believe you’re one of the best ballerinas here,” Sarah stares at her worriedly. “However, you need to prioritize, Tessa. You need to figure out what’s more important to you, whether it be ballet or skating with some boy,” She heaves a sigh at the end.

 

“He’s not just some boy,” Tessa argues.

 

“I get that, but if you don’t, I’d hate to see your dreams of getting into the school of ballet disappear. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes, Ms. Sarah, I do,” Tessa croaks, keeping her eyes locked on her slippers. She can feel her eyes widening after listening to Sarah throwing words onto her like a punch to the stomach. Her breath escapes her; searing pain as something hot rises from Tessa’s throat. She struggles to hold herself in front of her teacher, the impact of her words are already weakening her legs.

 

“Okay, good,” Sarah nods, patting her shoulder. “Now, why don’t you go get Scott and we’ll start?”

 

Tessa ingests the pain tugging on her chest, moving to go find him. Scott being the nosy (caring) boy he is, briskly moves behind a wall before walking nonchalantly up to Tessa to press a kiss to her hand. He takes notice of her watery eyes and it stings a little, seeing them change into a deep ivy.

 

As they make their way through the lesson at the barre, Scott tries to pretend that it doesn’t hurt seeing Tessa take her aggression out on herself, or how she feels juggling her spare time between ballet and skating with _some boy_.

* * *

Jogging out of the studio as fast as she can, Tessa lets the suffocating air release from her lungs as she breathes in the night. At once, the sky cracks and booms, relinquishing the tears it’s holding back and lightning sparkles above her, illuminating her skin.

 

Scott chases after her, stopping when only an inch separates her back from him. He pauses to gather his words, watching as her glossy locks bundle at the nape of her neck.

 

"There you are, Tess. For a second there I thought you were going to leave without me,” He attempts to joke. “Tutu?”

 

Hiding a saddened smile, Tessa turns to meet his sweet, warm eyes. Her heart feels at peace inside. It isn't happiness. Happiness is a feeling you get riding a rollercoaster that lifts you up into the air, higher and higher. This is a new, nervous feeling that she hasn't felt before… Peering back up at the darkening sky, Tessa lets the raindrops cool her forehead as her palms become damp and clammy. She can sense the lightning booming over her and a familiar pair of eyes grinning. Her eyelids droop... She’s dizzy, sweltering, and foolishly in love with Scott Moir. She falls into his arms, her lips grazing his neck. His words become muffled due to the rain filling her ears like ocean waves. Her eyes close softly, and she allows the feeling of love to beat inside her heart. She lets out a small smile, then refuses to move, even when he carries her to the car and all the way home.

* * *

They lay in each other’s hold on the couch with their makeshift blankets while watching the movie. Being her restless self, it takes Tessa a few minutes before finding her comfortable position; that being, her head in his lap and his strong arms protecting her, stroking her soaked tresses lovingly.

 

As Maria sings to the children on the screen about thinking of their favourite things when they’re feeling down, Tessa melts under Scott’s hand as he traces her name in her skin.

 

A bolt of lightning strikes and surprisingly Scott doesn’t jump, rather Tessa does, and willingly snuggles into him for comfort. “Shh, Tess, come here.”

 

“I’m usually not this jumpy-”

 

“Shh, it’s okay. Just do what Maria says. Think of your favourite things when you're feeling sad,” Scott consoles, peeking out of a sliver of the curtains; the rain is certainly pouring, hitting the windows.

 

“My favourite things?” Tessa tilts her nose up to him.

 

“Hmm” Scott mumbles, pulling the blanket closer to them, making sure to cover Tessa’s entire body, and not so much his.

 

“Well, skating...my family...my teddy bear...chocolate definitely,” She giggles. “Cuddling...warm hugs...you,” She stares intently at him, nuzzling his chin.

 

“I’m your favourite?” Scott blushes, grinning ear to ear.

 

“I saved the best for last,” Tessa smiles, resting her head against his shoulder.

 

“You’re my favourite too, Tutu.”

 

He stops silently as the wind dies down for a bit but not for long. All he can make out are swirls of coffee coloured locks covering his face. As the sky clears, Scott can sense the familiar smell of strawberries and her. The rain is beginning to pitter patter again loudly.

 

As he looks down in front of him, he sees his home. They’re finally safe and sound.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Sweet, sweet fluffy goodness!!


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